The present invention will be described with particular reference to perfume although the technology is believed applicable to other benefit agents used in fabric treatment processes.
In laundry applications deposition of a perfume is used, for example, during fabric treatment processes such as fabric washing and conditioning. Methods of deposition are diverse and include deposition during the wash or rinse stages of the laundry process or direct deposition before or after the wash, such as by spraying or rubbing or by use of impregnated sheets during tumble drying or water additives during steam ironing. The perfume is often incorporated into a carrier or delivery system. Carrier systems for perfumes are typically based on encapsulation or entrapment of the perfume within a matrix. After deposition onto a surface, a problem exists in that longevity of adherence to that surface of the perfume, in a surfactant containing environment, is inherently poor. A perfume which has been deposited onto a fabric may be washed off again during a main wash, or the perfume may be leached from its carrier into the wash. Protection of the perfume is, therefore, required before and after it has been deposited onto a surface. Much the same problems are encountered with other benefit agents, which are, like perfume typically relatively expensive and present in laundry compositions at relatively low levels.
WO 07/62833 relates to compositions which comprise core-shell encapsulated perfume particles decorated with a polysaccharide which is substantive to cellulose. Preferred polysaccharides disclosed therein are locust bean gum, tamarind xyloglucan, guar gum or mixtures thereof. Thus it is known to have particles comprising a benefit agent (perfume) which use cellulose-substantive polysaccharide as a delivery aid to assist the particles in binding to a specific substrate. The compositions may also contain one or more enzymes. Suitable enzymes disclosed in the reference include, amongst others, those known as cellulase.
The term cellulase refers to a class of enzymes which show a range of possible reactions on a variety of substrates. One problem with cellulose-substantive polysaccharides is that they have a structure which is generally similar to cellulose, and as such, are subject to attack by “cellulase”.
Other enzymes which attack polysaccharides are known, for example mannanases are used in combination with other enzymes as an effective medium against soil from certain food products (such as ice cream, tomato sauce or salad dressing) that contain guar gum. Guar gum is a food additive that is obtained from the seed of the guar tree and is used in numerous products as ballast or as a gelling agent. Guar gum is also found in some hair styling products and make-up products. As noted above, guar gum is substantive to cellulose. Mannanases have been identified in several Bacillus organisms. For example, Talbot et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol., vol. 56, No. 11, pp. 3505-3510 (1990) describes a β-mannanase derived from Bacillus stearothermophilus in dimer form having a MW of 162 kDa and an optimum pH of 5.5-7.5. Mendoza et al., World J. Micobio. Biotech., vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 551-555 (1994) describes a β-mannanase derived from Bacillus subtilisis having a MW of 38 kDa, an optimum activity at pH 5.0/55° C. and a pI of 4.8. J0304706 discloses a β-mannanase derived from Bacillus sp. having a MW of 37 +/−3 kDa measured by gel filtration, an optimum pH of 8-10 and a pI of 5.3-5.4. J63056289 describes the production of an alkaline, thermostable β-mannanase, which hydrolyses β-1,4-D-mannopyranoside bonds of e.g. mannans and produces manno:oligo:saccharides. J63036774 relates to a Bacillus microorganism FERM P-8856 which produces β-mannanase and β-mannosidase, at an alkaline pH. A purified mannanase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and its method of preparation useful in the bleaching of pulp and paper, is disclosed in WO97/11164. WO91/18974 describes an hemicellulase such as a glucanase, xylanase or mannanase, active at extreme pH and temperature and the production thereof. WO94/25576 describes an enzyme exhibiting a mannanase activity derived from Aspergillus aculeatus CBS 101.43, that might be used for various purposes for which degradation or modification of plant or algae cell wall material is desired. WO93/24622 discloses a mannanase isolated from Trichoderrna reesei for bleaching lignocellulosic pulps.